


Welcome to the Neighborhood

by FuckMeGentlyWithAChainsaw



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: AU, Getting Together, Kid Fic, M/M, new tags tbd, we'll see where this goes, zimbits - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-20
Updated: 2017-07-26
Packaged: 2018-10-21 03:40:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10676946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FuckMeGentlyWithAChainsaw/pseuds/FuckMeGentlyWithAChainsaw
Summary: Jack Zimmerman is a college history professor tired of living in the city. Eric Bittle is the single father of a 13-year-old who can't seem to stay out of trouble.Leave it to suburbia to bring them together





	1. Welcome to the Neighborhood

Jack moved into a house to get away from the chaos of a major metropolitan area. He moved away from the city because he didn’t have to worry about leasing an apartment in a different city every few years and he was so tired of living in apartments and feeling crowded all the time that he could hardly stand it. For the month and a half that he’d been in his new home, the space had been wonderful. He could wake up to birds chirping instead of sirens blaring in the distance. He could come home to kids laughing and playing in the street instead of ducking reporters as he went into his building.

He pulled into his driveway with his trunk full of groceries to find a man standing by his front door, hand braced on the neck of one of the kids he’d seen running around the neighborhood. The man looked furious and exhausted but quickly schooled his face into something that resembled friendly when he saw Jack. The kid looked terrified. 

“Hey there,” The man greeted, and Jack was confused for a moment until he noticed a broken window. His bedroom window, actually, was half shattered. “I’m Eric and this is my son Tommy, we live just across the street.” He pointed to a place with a bright red door a few houses down. 

“I’m Jack,” he reached out to shake his hand and Eric released his grip on Tommy to take his hand. 

“Well Jack, this is no way to welcome you to the neighborhood, but I promise I’ll do it right later. Right now, Tommy has something to say.” 

Jack crossed his arms and leaned back against his truck as the boy shuffled, eyes stuck on his feet. He mumbled something Jack didn’t catch, but Eric cuffed him on the back of the head in response, so it probably wasn’t good. 

“I’m sorry about your window.” He said finally, looking up to meet Jack’s gaze briefly before looking down again. 

Eric cleared his throat pointedly, urging Tommy to go on, but he didn’t. “Well if that’s all you have to say you can go back to your room and stay there until I come get you for dinner.” Tommy pulled away and glumly made his way back to the house. 

Jack resisted the urge to laugh. “Ah, so what happened exactly?” 

Eric rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I honestly have no idea. I just got back from work and he and the horde of monsters down the street were all standing in your driveway looking up at that. I heard mention of a bottle rocket, but there’s no telling.” He took a breath to steady himself, “well in any case, just let me know what needs replacing and I’ll write you a check. Is that okay?”

Jack shifted on his feet a bit before replying, “What if you just helped me bring my groceries into the kitchen and we’ll call it even?” 

Eric followed him around to the trunk, “we absolutely will not call it even. If anything you’ll get at least a month’s worth of Tommy’s allowance for the window.” He picked up a large paper bag in each arm and followed Jack through his front door. 

“Okay,” Jack said, setting his bags down on his kitchen island and nodding his head for Eric to do the same. “Why don’t we go survey the damage and see what kind of compromise we can come up with.” 

Eric flushed a little, “alright, well, lead the way, Jack.” 

He followed him up the stairs and into the master bedroom at the end of the hall. There was, in fact, the smoldering remains of a bottle rocket on the floor next to Jack’s bed. 

“Good lord, it’s a wonder they didn’t set your dang house on fire.” Bitty picked up the spent shell before turning back towards the window. 

“Doesn’t look like it broke anything else though.” Jack said. “No harm no foul, yeah?” He knelt down to start picking up the larger shards of glass.

Eric didn’t look satisfied with that and crouched to help him clean up. “Well I’m not sure the window would agree with you. I’ll get it replaced and if it makes you feel better, Tommy will be coughing up a good bit for it so it’s not all coming out of my pocket.”

Jack kicked the trashcan out from under the bed with one foot to throw away the glass. “Really, Eric, don’t worry about it. Okay? If you feel like you need to do something you could…..” he trailed off thinking and Eric dropped a few more pieces of class into the trash can. “I’ve actually been looking for someone to watch my dog once school starts in August. Do you think Tommy could manage that?” 

Eric whipped his hands off on his pants as he stood up. “Absolutely, and you won’t pay that boy a dime for it either.” 

“Not a dime,” Jack promised, “do you want to meet her before you go. She’s a pit mix. I don’t know if that’s a problem-“ 

“It absolutely is not,” Eric jumped in, “and I’ve told Carol and Mark down the street as much several times already.” 

“Really,” Jack lead the way back down the stairs into the laundry room where a large brindle pitbull was wagging her tail so furiously that the entire kennel was vibrating. 

“Yes, and if they give you any more trouble over this sweet girl you let me know.” 

Jack nodded appreciatively and opened the kennel door. “Well, this is Hatty. She’s almost two, I think.” 

Eric immediately sat on the floor and was overwhelmed with a lap full of dog. 

“She’s pretty well trained, but, ah, I can’t help you if you sit on the ground like that.” Jack laughed as the man was very nearly dwarfed by a dog he’d been able to hold in one hand not that long ago. Eric didn’t seem to mind. 

“She is a big girl, isn’t she. She walk alright? I’m sure Tommy’ll love her but I’d hate for her to pull him over.” 

Jack grabbed Hatty’s collar and pulled her off of Eric, “she’s got a special harness but I made sure she walks really well. My knee is a little messed up so I’m not sure I could handle her dragging me around either.” 

Eric stood up and immediately leaned over to pet Hatty’s head. “Well Jack, I think we’ve got ourselves a deal. Do you want to come over tomorrow afternoon and give Tommy the rundown so he can get the hang of things before school gets back in?”

“Sure,” Jack agreed happily, “and I’d gladly let him start a little early if it’ll help keep him out of trouble for the last few weeks of summer.” 

Eric nodded, “Lord, it might, and I’ll make sure he’s got a few dollars for your window and don’t try to say no. It’s the principle of the thing.” 

Jack walked across his kitchen and let Hatty out into the yard through the back door. “Ok then. We’ve got a deal.” The shook hands again and Jack realized for the first time in a month and a half that he had a very, very cute neighbor.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Ah, what about Tommy’s mother?” Jack asked finally. Fidgeting with his phone on the table. 
> 
> Eric huffed a laugh and swirled the chilled white wine he’d poured for himself. “Well,” he started, “Tommy’s adopted. We got him when he was just a baby.”
> 
> He trailed off, and Jack waited.

“I can go around the whole neighborhood?” Tommy asked excitedly. “Like, the whole—the whole thing? The whole neighborhood? By myself?”

Eric bit back a laugh and nodded, “for half an hour. Then you have to come back and get Miss Hatty here some water. It’s still hot out.” 

Jack looked on with poorly disguised amusement. He knelt down and unclipped Hatty’s harness so he could show Tommy how to put it on by himself and was pleasantly surprised to see the boy looking on with rapt attention. Hatty stepped politely into her harness and Tommy fumbled a bit as he clipped it over her shoulders. “Got it?” He asked.

“Yeah,” Tommy said, satisfied.  
“Alrighty, then.” Eric said, “you’ve got sunscreen on?”

“Yes, dad. Can I go?”

“Absolutely,” Eric said, “be back in half an hour, or else.”

“Bye,” Tommy said, half jogging away from the house with Hatty trotting happily beside him. 

The stood in the doorway for a moment longer, “you know I normally wouldn’t let him run around by himself, but lord knows nobody would try to grab him with Miss Hatty by his side.” 

Jack laughed, “I can’t promise she’d do much damage, but she can put on a show when she needs to.”

Eric cleared his throat, “Well Mr. Zimmermann, it seems we have half an hour to ourselves. Would you like to come in?”

Jack found himself sitting across from Eric, looking at his golden hair glinting in the afternoon sun, playing twenty questions. They went back and forth for a while. Asking about favorite colors, movies, and books. 

“Ah, what about Tommy’s mother?” Jack asked finally. Fidgeting with his phone on the table. 

Eric huffed a laugh and swirled the chilled white wine he’d poured for himself. “Well,” he started, “Tommy’s adopted. We got him when he was just a baby.”

He trailed off, and Jack waited. 

“Not to brag or anything, but I am a rather recent divorcé and Nick, my ex, has Tommy every other weekend. Alternating holidays and all that.” 

“I’m sorry,” Jack said, not sure what else he was supposed to say. 

“Don’t be. It was for the best,” Eric assured him, “I got the house and Tommy most of the time, so, it’s all been….something.” 

Jack shifted in his seat, “I guess I owe you a bit of my tragic backstory too now?”

“Of course not, Jack. I—“

Jack laughed. “I’m just kidding. Plus, it’s only fair.” He turned his phone over on the table, letting it slip between his fingers until it hit the table with a soft thunk before turning it over again. “I played in the NHL for a couple of years, but I busted my knee—“

“During playoffs. Against the Bruins, right?” Eric cut in. “Sorry I just—I played hockey in college so…Zimmermann is a hard name to miss.” 

“So you already know all the juicy details?” He asked, a small smile tugging at his lips. 

“Well I didn’t know you were going to up and move to residential Rhode Island that’s for dang sure.” Eric protested. 

Jack laughed, “I’m actually doing graduate school at Brown. I’m working on my masters.” 

Eric barked a laugh, “good lord, in what?”

“History,” Jack smiled. “19th century with a focus on LGBT influence in World War One.” 

“Well that certainly sounds interesting.”

“It is,” Jack nodded, “I love it. I didn’t think it would be this…easy to step away from hockey. Not that I had a choice, but...”

“I think I know what you mean.” Eric replied. “I—“ he was interrupted by the jingle of keys at the door. 

“Dad, I’m back.” Tommy called. 

“Oh, wait is he on time? I totally lost track.”

Jack quickly checked his watch, “Hes, uh, two minutes late. How are you going to play it this?” He asked, unable to keep a straight face

“I think I might let him have this one.” Eric replied quickly, as Hatty barreled into the kitchen, “I know when to pick my battles.” 

“Hi Mr. Zimmermann,” Tommy said, “Hatty was really good, but she did eat a bug. I’m not sure what kind, but she seems okay.” 

Jack nodded, “yeah, she’ll do that. Good job, bud.” He bent over to pick up Hatty’s trailing leash before turning to Eric, “I guess I’ll head home.” 

Eric nodded and walked over to place his glass in the sink. “I’ll walk you out.”


End file.
